Nashville, Feb. 17, 2014 – Ten voices, 10 microphones, a unique vision and a stage is all it took for national sensation, Straight No Chaser (SNC), to change the common image of an all-male a cappella group. Since the band’s reunion, coordinated by Atlantic Records in 2008, the men have seen huge success by continually modernizing their act with humor and timeless, as well as current, pop songs to captivate their audience, something that has set them apart since their inception in 1996 at Indiana University. This year, PixelFLEX LED Curtains were included during the act’s 68-city Under The Influence tour promoting their album of the same name. The curtains added a brand new element to the shows with the panels’ versatility, flexibility and affordability.
PixelFLEX, the industry leader in lightweight, flexible LED video curtain panels, offered a cost-effective, practical and simple packing solution to the tour and production manager when the crew wanted to balance new visuals with the vocals, emotions and originality of the act.
“The PixelFLEX video curtain gave the show a bigger presence for the crowd without overwhelming the art of the performance,” said Richard Korby, Tour and Production Manager for Straight No Chaser. “We were pleasantly surprised at the reception from the audience; the panels brought the experience to another level for those who had seen the show before and those who were seeing SNC for the first time.”
Throughout the three month tour, the 20mm LED curtains displayed an introductory video about the group, served as a tool for promotional material, and added a novel element of background images and video throughout each performance.
“It’s the marriage of artistry, economics and logistics,” explained Korby. “It travels very efficiently and that was the key. The way it packs and folds up into a single road case kept us from having to add trucking, which is important because we’ve got to watch every penny when we’re out on the road.”
The curtains are flexible in all directions, making it possible for the panels to bend and shape around structures for a more creative, dynamic and artistic display. Though the six screens were used statically throughout the tour, they provided the unparalleled bonus of being compact and simple to set up, take down, and pack into two road cases, something that the Systems Technician, Bob Rager, and Lighting and Video Director, Christ Jones, were impressed with.
Looking forward to the 2014 tour season, Korby is planning to again utilize PixelFLEX technology for SNC’s video needs.
